What’s a superhero movie without an ensemble? The Zack Snyder Superman reboot "Man of Steel" is looking to the comic books for its extended cast, rather than inventing one out of thin air. That means no Lois Lane’s husband, no Nuclear Man, and not even Richard Pryor.

In the newest addition, Variety reports that Richard Schiff ("The West Wing") is joining the film as "Doctor Hamilton," presumably Emil Hamilton of funny book fame.

In his earlier appearances, Hamilton was portrayed as a helpful scientist of S.T.A.R. Labs, a top-secret government lab that Superman would alternately tangle with and look to for help. In recent years, Hamilton was outed as the supervillain Ruin, using a fancy tech suit to attack the Man of Steel’s loved ones. The movie Hamilton will probably be the more benign incarnation, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to get a few hints at his more devious nature.

We’ve been slow on recent "Man of Steel" news, but Schiff’s casting follows a bigger doozy: the rumor that Bradley Cooper will make a cameo as Lex Luthor at some point in the new film. Lex’s potential involvement has been kept quiet, but he’s the most iconic Superman villain of them all, and it would be impossible to imagine a movie without at least one nod to the not-so-lovable megalomaniac, even if it's not Cooper playing the role.

We're still more than a year away from "Man of Steel"’s release, so there will be plenty of time for more speculation.

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